Lateral arm awning construction



Feb. 14, 1933.- E. F. BELL ET AL LATERAL ARM AWNING CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept.

(Ittornegs Patented Feb. 14, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDWIN F. BELL AND FREDERICK A. ANTON, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS, ASSIGNORS TO TOPEKA. TENT & AWNING COMPANY, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS, A CORPORATION OF KANSAS LATERAL ARM AWNING CONSTRUCTION Application filed September 2, 1930. Serial No. 479,144.

This invention relates to awnings of that class known as lateral arm awnings which involve the use of jointed arms whichv fold and unfold according to the position of the awning between horizontal planes spaced but a. relatively small vertical distance, said awnings as heretofore constructed practically always relying upon the force of gravity only to effect opening of the awning and the maintenance of the fabric in stretched condition after reaching open position.

With modern building front construction, in the endeavor both to conserve height of the window and also to have the transom bar or awning boxing of small vertical height, it has become more and more a problem with lateral arm awnings to secure sufficient pitch or inclination of the arms to assure proper gravity opening and maintenance of the stretched condition of the fabric after full opening movement has been effected.

The present invention, therefore, has for one ofits objects the production of a strong, durable, simple and efficient spring mechanism which will quickly and easily effect opening movement of the awning and will maintain the fabric in stretched condition even when the arms have very little inclination and are operating in substantially a horizontal plane.

Another object of the invention is to produce a construction of the type indicated in which springs of different power may be readily substituted to fit the inclination of the installation being made so that the lateral arms will readily unfold and may maintain, if desired, particularly where the awning is substantially horizontal, a relative constant force on the awning arms regardless of their position; and in which the spring tension may be readily adjusted within reasonable limits.

lVith the general objects named in view and others as will hereinafter'appear, the invention consists in certain novel and use-- ful features of construction and organization of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a fragmental plan view of a hanger and folding arm embodying the invention, the hanger and certain parts asso-V ciated therewith being broken away to more clearly disclose their relationship, and the folding arm occupying its extended or operative position.

Figure 2 is an enlarged side view of the hanger end'of a part of the folding arm, the latter, as in Figure 1, being indicated in the position occupied when the awning is in stretched or operative position.

Figure 3 is a side view of the bracket rotatably adjustable on the hanger, and also discloses the inner end of the folding arm.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view to illustrate how the awning parts may be made so that the lever arm of the spring, that is the tension of the spring, will increase from minimum, with the awning folded, to maximum, with the awning open, whereby it is possible to so proportion the parts that the spring tension or force of the spring on the arm is substantially the same regardless of the position of the awning.

In the said drawing, where like reference characters identify corresponding parts in all of the figures, 1 indicates a'hanger adapted to be secured to the front of a building or to the back of a box or housing fastened to a building for the reception and protection of the awning when in inoperative position, and 2 and 2a respectively indicate fragments of the awning fabric and roller overlying said bracket. The hanger is of any suitable type and is provided at its outer end with a horizontal head 3, which internally tapers from each end as at 4, as indicated in the broken part of the hanger disclosed in Figure 1.

A bracket 5, which stands in a position more or less inclined downwardly and outwardly according to the pitch or inclination of the awning when in use, is forked to provide an arm 6 and a lower arm 7 and fits against one end of the head 3 and has a conical stud 8 which projects into the head and has external longitudinal ribs 9. An opposing conical stud 1O fits against and projects into the head 3 at the opposite end thereof and fits overthe stud 8 and has notches 11 receiving the ribs 9 to interlock the two studs against through the bracket and the studsand is en-." gaged'at its threaded end by a,nut"l2. As thus fardescribed,,the parts-correspond toranalogousfeatures of ourfco-pending appliw a cation Ser. 'No I.300,519. Itfwillbe evident that the'clai'nping action of the 'nut 12 tends to frictionally lock the bracketin anydeq independent rotative movementf To clamp theostuds firmly in place so that the bracket, cannot accidentally turn, a bolt extends i sired position of rotativefadjustnient, but as turning of the bracket andfor convenience 1 in adjusting the same-when necessary or desirable, we may providefother featuresshown,

- and describedigin the pending application hereinabove identified, which features arenot shown herein as forming no. part of the jpresent'invention.* a

The upper and lower ing a journal for the forkede'nd :16 of the upper .or inner member 1 7Pof a lateral arm; by passing through: alined openings therein,

the lower or outer end of member 17 being pivoted to theinner end ofgthe outer member 18 of the folding-arm, as common in the art -.The forked'end 16 of the upper armis preferably made in the shapeof-a casting sepa'-' rate fromthe arm, andris: provided with arecess to receive one end ofthe upper arm& in member 17 'whichis securely'held -in posi-" tion by a pair of bolts or rivetsl19.-. fClamped I against the face of the end of the arm bysaid bolts 19, is arelativelyL-shaped strap 20,

I havingits leg "21 z-provided :withi'f'alpair -of brace or reinforce lugs 22," which stiffen the leg 7 of the strap vagainst the force of a spring', hereinafter mentioned. i- '7 I Projecting from the vertical orl 'bodylpore l tion ofthe bracket"5,ris :aiforkedextension' 4.

23, between the ears of whichoneen'd'of a rod 7 24: is pivotedoon a bolti25, the opposite end of said rod passing through an opening in theoutstandingleg21 of the strap '20. "Rod 7 24fisencircledby an' expansion spring-26,

having one end abutting a nutoradj'usting collar 27threaded on red 24, whereby: the tension of the spring :may'be'incre'ased vor 7 diminished within reasonable limits without necessitating, the substitution. of another spring tomeet, slight demands for a change inpower tosuit a parti'cular installation.

The other end ,of'the spring'26 abuts the out;

;the' pole 28 to 1 which the end of ,the fabric standing leg 2lr of the strap 20, the brace flanges or lug's 22 assisting the strap inwiththatthe spring 26 is subjected-togreatest-ten;

sion when the awning isfoldedandtherefore applies its greatest force to eflteetthe initial substituted, and ,that the strength of V ,the-

is attached as customary? opening or unfolding of the awning-as soon i I sitionl: "The spring has-this unequalpoweras i illustrated in Figure 1,' 'because it is under greatercompression when the awning is'folded than whentheawning is open,,as shown-by;-

,fthe coinp ar ati-ye lengths: of lhe' dotted lines 5 X and' Y1" respectively, extending {fronifthe centerof thepivot 25 to the abutment 'mm- 7 her 21 carried by'thefawning arm. This rean additional precaution against accidental sult isldue to the.eccentricrelationship be-f tween the centers of the pivot bolts 15 'and25. .i-In' practical operating conditions particnecessary or desirable, to insure a positive [and quick unfolding' operation, to so co'nq k structfthe -parts that,-f'astheiawning'unfolds forks of the bracket 5, [are provided with alinedopenings forthe reception of a pivot bolt 15; said bolt form pansion' by Iec'ce'ntrically arranging the Gen? 7 tersof pivot bolts 15 and 25, so'that'the'dis tance from the pivot 15to the arm abutment- 21shall-b'e the same when thejawning ifs-open;

as when the awning'isc'losed.

In Figure 4, one method of; arranging the centers of bolts 15an'd25'fis illustrated, so

that the pressure: or force of the spring. on i the awning-arm: is the saine in awning closed and "awning-opened positions." said figure, A representsthe pivotal point of the awning arm, and B, thejp'ivotal' point of the rod'24' carrying the spring 26. IWiththe' arm open or extended, the distanCe C from the center of B tojthe abutment 21 car rife'd-fby', the] arm, is the same: as the distance Dlbetweenjtheicenter JbfB d said ab tment 2 1,Iwhen the a'rm is olosed. "In other words,

centers 'A and Bare in, 21 plane bisectingthe angle-formed awning-opened and awning-.-:

closed positions, and'the spring'tension be substantially th same throughout the are of swinging movement.

Itwill be evident that the spring may be readily replaced bygremoving thejbolt 25 and the rod 24, and a neWspring as readily springlused will'be such as to efiicientlyi overcome the initialinertiaoffthe arms to un-v folding movement, the" are through; vwhich the'arin moves in unfolding b'eingabout 909.

In Figure 1, the outrmember 18 0f thei-folding arm is shown as pivotally connected, to:

From theabove description it will'be 5 --parent that while we havedescribedconstructions embodying all of thefeatures-ofz of the invention and without the ambit of the prior art.

We claim 1. In an awning, a bracket, an awning arm pivoted to said bracket for movement in a relatively horizontal plane, a guide rod interconnecting said bracket and arm and having a pivoted connection one member and a sliding connection with the other, and an expansion spring carried by said rod and pressing at one end against the bracket and at its other end against the awning arm.

2. In an awning, a bracket having a pair of lugs, an awning arm pivoted to said bracket for movement in a relatively horizontal plane, a guide rod pivoted to said bracket lugs and having sliding engagement with the arm, and an expansion spring carried by said rod and pressing at one end against the bracket and at its other end against the awning arm.

3. In an awning, a bracket having a pair of lugs, a second bracket pivoted to said first-named bracket and being provided with a recess, an awning arm secured in said recess, an L-shaped strap secured to said awning arm, and an expansion spring pressing at one end against said lugs and at its other end against said strap.

4. In an awning, a bracket having a pair of lugs, an awning arm pivoted to said bracket, an extension on said awning arm having an opening, a guide rod pivoted to said bracket lugs at one end and slidingly engaging said extension opening at its other end, and an expansion spring encircling said guide rod and pressing at one end against the bracket lugs and at its other end against the arm extension.

5. In an awning, a bracket, an awning arm pivoted to said bracket for movement in a relatively horizontal plane, a guide rod interconnecting said bracket and arm and having a pivoted connection to one member and a sliding connection with the other, and an expansion spring carried by said rod and exerting force against the arm to swing said arm to open position, the parts being so arranged by having the spring abutment eccentric of the arm pivot that the spring force on the arm is substantially uniform regardless of the operative position of the awning.

6. In a lateral arm awning, a roller, an awning fabric adapted to be rolled on said roller, a bracket, an awning arm adapted to approach and recede from said bracket and being secured to one end of the fabric for effecting unrolling thereof from the roller, and a spring exerting substantially constant force on said awning arm regardless of its operative position of adjustment with regard to the bracket by having a fixed abutment eccentric of the arm pivot.

7. In a lateral arm awning, a. roller, an awning fabric adapted to be rolled on said roller, a bracket, an awning arm adapted to approach and recede from said bracket and being secured to one end of the fabric for effecting unrolling thereof from the roller, a spring exerting force against the arm to move same to open position, said spring being so related to the arm and bracket by having an eccentric abutment that as the spring expands its leverage on the awning arm is increased to compensate for loss of power in the spring due to such expansion.

8. In an awning, a roller, awning fabric for winding and unwinding thereon, a bracket bearing a fixed relation to the awning, an awning arm pivoted to said bracket, an abutment lug on said arm, a. rod having sliding engagement at one end with the arm and having its opposite end pivoted to the bracket eccentrically of the pivotal point of the arm, and a spring fitting on said rod and exerting force in opposite directions on the bracket and abutment lug.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

EDWIN F. BELL. FREDERICK A. ANTON. 

